Email #26 - Being a Missionary

March 6, 2017

Birmingham, Alabama

Hello Everyone! How are you all doing? Anything eventful this week?

So this week was a complete RIOT! Elder Krupa and I just had a blast! We have been doing a lot this week. But first things first. Can I write a little note to the family of Sister Dinning?

Sister Dinning was always one of my favorite people. She was always so loving, and kind whenever I was around her. She was one of those people that I looked up to when I thought of the scripture in Enos that talks about being "unshaken" in their faith of Christ. She was such a trooper through trials and one that was a great example to me of truly being a disciple of our Savior, Jesus Christ. She will be an amazing guardian angel. I'll really really miss her.

A little about the week. Last week we were able to do a lot of fun and interesting “finding” ideas! But this one is my favorite! We met a few Hispanics that wanted to learn the piano so I offered to teach them!  Wow. The piano is surely paying off on the mission.  This week I taught 3 piano lessons in Spanish! That was a different experience.  It was super fun and they helped me a little bit with the words and technical terms about the piano that I didn't know.  So that was just a blast!  Elder Krupa would talk to the rest of the investigators friends and family while I was teaching and we have built up a few people that are super interested in the Gospel. How cool is that?  Opening doors by teaching the piano.

Also, every week we have English Class.  We advertise to the Hispanics to come and learn how to speak English.  We put up fliers at all the tiendas in the area and we have a few coming. After English Class on Wednesdays and Sundays we share a quick spiritual thought from either the Book of Mormon or teach a simplified version of one of the lessons and we have an Investigator named Oscar that we have started teaching from English Class!  This last week we have been doing our best to be creative in our finding ideas. It's been super super fun! I've loved It!

This week we had a Zone Training and we talked a lot about "listening." We talked about living our lives in a way that we can hear the Spirit constantly in our lives. By being obedient to the commandments of God we can hear the Spirit throughout each and everyday. It was a super cool discussion because a few other missionaries brought up a few points. One of them I really liked. We talked about listening to the person and not thinking about what we are going to say next. I really liked that because if we are truly listening with a loving heart to those around us we are being good listeners and showing that we really do love them, and that's what the gospel is really about right? Showing our love. If we are showing our love we are serving others.  We are reaching out to those we care about.  We are a smiling face to all those around us.  We are helping others feel of the enthusiasm of Christ.

Thank you for all you do and the great examples you are to me so far away.  Well I guess it's not that far but I'm definitely not in St. George! Love you all! Have a great week!

D&C 128:22

Strength and Honor

-Elder Noah Featherstone

Email #25 - #ExpectMiracles

February 27, 2017

Huntsville to Birmingham, Alabama

Familyyyyyyy!!! How are you all doing? I sure hope well! So this week has been CRAZYYYYY!!!!  II'll start right from the top! How's that? Sound good?

Ok, so last Monday we had one last District Nerf Gun War with everyone in my District! It was super fun and pretty insane! We spent that evening visiting some of the investigators and members and saying goodbye to them... Man.... I hate goodbyes. I thought it would get easier but I guess not... So that was Monday.

Tuesday we spent a lot of time following up with people we had tracted into and saying goodbye some more. Wednesday came and we were up at about 5:30 am to finish packing and get headed on the road to Birmingham from Huntsville! Then we had Transfers and Elder Krupa and I went to work! It's been a blast with him! I've completely loved it! He is from Idaho Falls and he came out with me into the mission so we have both been out about 7 months now. Pretty crazy how fast time flies!

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we did a lot of finding because we got transferred into this area together so we don't know anyone and I guess the Elders before us passed on everyone that they were teaching so we have been finding and visiting members a lot these last few days!

Sunday! Yesterday we were both trying to figure out how we were going to find people to teach and how to find investigators and then we went to church. We were introducing ourselves to all the members of the Branch and we met a Less Active who hasn't come in a while but she came yesterday and brought her boyfriend who is a non-member. We got his contact information and set up an appointment to teach him this week! So that was a miracle to see that God answers our prayers and knows our needs. Our focus this transfer is to expect miracles. To do our best and know that He will be looking out for us and that we should expect miracles if we are doing what we should be. It has been a really cool focus these last few days because it helps you look outside and see how God is blessing you.

It's been super good so far here in the Lorna Branch! I've loved it! The members here are so kind and loving. I've learned to love the people here in Alabama so much and especially the Hispanic people! They are the greatest! Thank you for all you do! Love you all so much! Have a great week! #expectmiracles

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

One of my good Mission friends Elder Cluff and I at Transfers

Some of the Lorna Ninos 

Elder Krupa and I Ft. Walgreens Security Cameras

Email #24 - Transfers Again?

February 21, 2017

From Huntsville to Birmingham, Alabama

Ok! So I will get straight to it this week because this is the craziest P-Day EVER! This week we had transfer calls again... and.... drum roll...... I am now going down to Birmingham! I will be serving with Elder Krupa who came in with me to the mission! I'm super psyched! I am definitely going to miss Huntsville.... We have been saying goodbye to the members here and it has been so dang hard.... I thought that the heartache was going to end when I adjusted to the mission but I guess not. Saying goodbye to the members and the investigators here was just rough. No way around it.... We had some bittersweet goodbye's. I have grown to love them all so much. So that was super hard... and I'm not even done! I will send a few pictures of the families here with the missionaries. There are 6 missionaries in the Huntsville Branch and 5 of them are leaving so the Branch wasn't too happy! !

This week we had an amazing experience with an investigator. His name is Juan and we were reviewing the Restoration and sharing a scripture out the Book of Mormon with him.  As we were sharing he pointed out the fact that he was feeling something different. We helped him realize that what he was feeling was the Spirit. It was such an amazing lesson and it was even better that he was the one that pointed out that he was feeling something different.

Also, this week we did some service at a place called Rock Steady Boxing. It is an organization that helps Parkinson's patients. It is a boxing gym that helps them get a little bit of exercise while doing a little physical therapy. Some of the people there have been doing it for a while and they have seen amazing results so it was super amazing to spend some time with all these people. Elder Layton and I were in charge of what they called the "Focus Mitts." They are the mitts that you see people holding for the boxers to help them warm up and practice. So we were holding the mitts for them. It was super cool!

Well That's about it for the week! Love you all and you all are in my prayers! Love you all so much! Have a stellar week!

Strength and Honor,

Elder Noah Featherstone

                                   Saying goodbye to the Santos' family in Huntsville

Email #23 - The Book of Mormon

February 13, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Family! How are you all? I sure hope you are doing well! So this week was a little slow! Not a whole lot to report on! But I do have something super cool!

My companion and I decided last P-Day that we were going to read the Book of Mormon in a week! Pretty tough right? So we would read it during Personal Study, and then read out loud during Companionship Study, and then during Language Study we would switch to Spanish. So we started last Tuesday morning, and we finished last night! Super cool experience! There are so many amazing things that you pick up when you read it quickly. I love studying it slowly but reading it super fast was also a great experience.  You see the historical part a little better! I really loved it. The Spirit is so strong whenever you read it. The Book of Mormon is the key to helping people come closer to our Savior in the mission field.   You see every day how people feel something different when you read the Book of Mormon with them. It is so amazing!

Thank you so much for all you do! Have a stellar week! Y'all are in my prayers!

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

Email #22 - The Power of the Book of Mormon

February 6, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Family! How are you all? I hope all is well! So I have a few stories for ya! Sound good?

Okay, so first, the other day we tracted into a man named Richard and we talked to him and he said we could come back a few days later.  So a few days ago we went back to his house and he let us in and his niece was there as well. So we had a great discussion with them and Richard said to us, "You know why I wanted y'all to come back?" Elder Layton and I both responded telling him that we didn't. He said "When you knocked on my door I felt something different, something that I haven't felt before. I saw a light about you two and I wanted to know what it was." We went on to teach him the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon. It was one of the most inspiring lessons that I have had in the mission so far. It was pretty miraculous. He was asking sincere questions and he really wanted to know the answers. It was pretty amazing.

We had the same experience with a man named Will who I talked about in my last email. Will had previously met with the missionaries here in Huntsville and he moved to the other side of town and lost contact with them. He is a non practicing Jehovah Witness. So we had an appointment with him on Saturday night and we went over and we talked to him about the importance of The Book of Mormon. He really loved it. He is very factual and knows his stuff so he asked some pretty hard questions but he was also very sincere. He asked us if it talks about the Book of Mormon anywhere in the Bible. My mind immediately went to Ezekiel 37 where it talks about the Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah. It was an amazing lesson. There is only one bad thing about it though... Since we are Spanish Missionaries we have to pass him on soon... But its all good!  As long as he has the opportunity to be taught right? He is a pretty amazing guy and really really wants to know about the Book of Mormon. We went back and he had already read a few chapters and was loving it so that's a good sign!

This week another elder here in Huntsville named Elder Gibbons and I performed a musical number at Zone Conference and it was super fun! We also got some good feedback which I was happy about.  Also this week the ward organist was out of town so I was asked to fill in.  It was a good experience as well!

That's about it! I hope you have a great week, and I'll be praying for you all!

P.S. I won't be able to send pictures this week... Sorry!

--

Strength and Honor

-Elder Noah Featherstone

Email #21 - Uhaul Movers Round 2

January 30, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Family! Ok So sorry but you are getting another UHAUL Story! Aren't they just the greatest?! Anyways! I hope you are all doing well! This week was super busy and pretty adventurous!

So this week I also have another #fourthfloorlastdoor story! This week we were tracting an apartment complex and we ran into a few Hispanics.  We ran into a man named NACHO! "NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" That was awesome. So we had a great conversation and shared a scripture with him because we didn’t have much time, but we got a return appointment so that's good! The last door we knocked... WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE LAST DOOR! We ran into a man who had talked with missionaries in the past and we shared with him the Restoration and as well we gave him a Book of Mormon. Cool Right? It gets better. He committed to read it. That's not all! Everything single thing we shared he was so in-tune with us and he basically said this all sounds pretty accurate. He said that he would pray to know if it was true. He was probably the most focused and in tune to the lesson person that I have ever taught. He was previously a Jehovah Witness but he doesn't practice it anymore and he was so solid in the lesson. His was the last door but it was only on the second floor so I guess it's #secondfloorlastdoor hahah!! It was a huge testimony builder to know that if we keep pushing we will be blessed as we Endure to the End.

Ok! To the Uhaul story! The Hermanas in the Huntsville Spanish Branch have an elderly English investigator that needed help moving. So she is about 90 years old and about 5 feet tall. She had a taxi take her to the Uhaul store to pick up a truck. We still don't know how she got back to her apartment. We loaded the Uhaul and then she didn't know how to get to her new apartment so she followed us in the Uhaul. I mean you would look back at her and you couldn't even see her eyes because the steering wheel was right at her eye level... We almost got rear ended more than once and she hit the curb twice while driving over there. Oh my goodness!  I would have driven the Uhaul for her but the missionaries aren't allowed to. So yeah it was super sketchy. I have some more Uhaul pictures and videos if they will send.

That about sums up the week! It was pretty good. The missionary schedule also changed which was good! I don't know if I like it or not but it'll be good! I love you all and I hope you have a great week! Love y'all! You are in my prayers!

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

Email #20 - El Palabra Segura de Dios

January 24, 2017

Hunstville, Alabama

Family! How are y'all? I love hearing from everyone and the amazing experiences you are all having back home! It's great and it makes me happy! So this week was pretty great! So I'll get right to it!

This week we were out tracting and we met a lot of people that were pretty interested in the gospel. So that was super great! The other night we went to a lesson with a lady named Erraine who we have been teaching for the last few weeks and she said, "Hey you guys should come over when my sister is here because she would be super interested in your message! Could you come over when she is here?" I responded, "You bet your boots we can do that!" So she said we could come back later this week and we set up another appointment to come when they were both going to be there. So we went on with the rest of our day and we had decided that we were going to tract this apartment complex that was supposed to have a lot of Hispanic people. We got tracting and GUESS WHAT! #fourthfloorlastdoor President Uchtdorf testifies of the truth. We pushed through to the last door of the complex and a lady named Patricia opened up. She invited us in and we sat down with her and her husband Lennord. We got talking and she said, "Ya know I saw you two the other day in the Westgate apartments." (Where Erraine lives) I responded, "Oh yeah! What were you doing over there?" "My sister lives there and we were visiting her." "Oh really? What's your sisters name?" "Erraine!" Oh my goodness. FOURTH FLOOR LAST DOOR! I heard that and I was speechless. How crazy is that? We ended up having just a stellar discussion with her and it was amazing!

Yesterday at Church I gave a talk in the Spanish Branch. The 1st counselor in the Branch Presidency asked me to pick a talk that Grandpa gave in General Conference and to talk about it. It was super fun for me to read through a few of his talks! I chose to talk on the one called, "The Sure Word of God."  In that talk he goes on to talk a little bit about the things that gave him his testimony in the scriptures. So since I couldn't quote any of it because none of it is translated into Spanish, I decided that I wanted to talk a little about those stories and experiences with the scriptures that gave me my testimony in the scriptures as well as other things that helped me gain a testimony of this gospel. The scriptures I decided to expound on were Enos 1, The Story of Abinadi in Mosiah, and Alma 37:36-37. Those three have always been some of my favorites. I shared those scriptures with them.  I finally feel like my Spanish is getting goodl enough that I can understand what the people are saying, as well as being able to respond to them. So it was super cool to be able to share those things with the Branch. The members here are amazing. I have loved getting to know them and work with them in the missionary effort.

Well that's about it for the week! I love this gospel and I love all of you. Thank you for the great examples you all are to me. I hope you have a great week!

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone